Garbology | ||||
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Studio album by Aesop Rock and Blockhead | ||||
Released | November 12, 2021 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 50:55 | |||
Label | Rhymesayers | |||
Producer | Blockhead | |||
Aesop Rock chronology | ||||
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Blockhead chronology | ||||
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Singles from Garbology | ||||
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Garbology is a collaborative studio album by rapper Aesop Rock and producer Blockhead. It was released through Rhymesayers Entertainment on November 12,2021. The album was preceded by one single,"Jazz Hands",which was released on October 13,2021,alongside a music video directed by Rob Shaw.
Prior to this album,Aesop Rock and Blockhead had been longtime collaborators;Blockhead had contributed production to each of Aesop's first five albums,and Aesop had provided vocals on several of Blockhead's solo tracks. However,before the two artists started work on this album,they had never collaborated on a full-length project together. [1] [2]
The artists began working in this album in early 2020,as Aesop was processing the death of a close friend,the skateboarder Kurt Hayashi. This origin influenced the title of the album:Aesop has stated that he sees parallels between the field of garbology and the idea of "picking up the pieces after a loss or period of intense unrest." The title was also chosen as a reference to sampling,due to the way in which samples reuse and repurpose music from earlier eras. [2]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 79/100 [3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10 [5] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [1] |
Stereogum | Favorable [6] |
At Metacritic,which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,Garbology received an average score of 79 based on 5 reviews,indicating "generally favorable reviews". [3]
A PopMatters review praised Aesop's rapping on Garbology as "sound[ing] on fire in a way he hasn't in years," with lyrical content characterized as "surrealistic,funny,and sometimes downright haunting". [1] A review on Stereogum,meanwhile,described Aesop's writing as feeling "alive" despite themes of "sadness and anger and boredom and free-floating dread". [6] Aesop's performance was also noted for versatility in his vocal delivery;Pitchfork described him as utilizing "increasingly complex" flows with "subtle vocal variations",while Stereogum described him as rapping "more deliberately" and "finding new cadences." [5] [6] Blockhead's production was characterized as minimalist;Pitchfork labels it as "musically spare" and as employing "an abundance of negative space," while PopMatters describes "desolate" production that "focused on keeping the spotlight on Bavitz". [5] [1] The Stereogum review placed less emphasis on the minimalism,however,instead identifying the album's main musical motifs as "deep grooves and cymbal-splashes and squelchy guitars" that were reminiscent of "junkyard blues". [6]
Comparing the release to Aesop Rock's previous album,AllMusic's Paul Simpson claimed that "Garbology isn't nearly as complex or conceptually driven as 2020's Spirit World Field Guide ,but it still contains an abundance of memorable lyrics,and demonstrates Aesop's talent for spinning fantastic stories out of nothing." [4]
All tracks are written by Ian Bavitz; "All Day Breakfast" co-written by Angel Del Villar II
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "The Only Picture" | 0:46 |
2. | "Jazz Hands" | 3:25 |
3. | "Wolf Piss" | 3:33 |
4. | "Legerdemain" | 4:33 |
5. | "Difficult" | 4:06 |
6. | "All the Smartest People" | 2:06 |
7. | "Oh Fudge" | 3:03 |
8. | "More Cycles" | 4:09 |
9. | "Flamingo Pink" | 3:56 |
10. | "All Day Breakfast" (with Homeboy Sandman) | 2:54 |
11. | "Fizz" | 4:38 |
12. | "That is Not a Wizard" | 4:32 |
13. | "The Sea" | 4:09 |
14. | "Abandoned Malls" | 5:05 |
Total length: | 50:55 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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UK Independent Albums (OCC) [7] | 47 |
Ian Matthias Bavitz, better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it went on hiatus in 2010. In a 2010 retrospective, betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the Top 100 Artists of the Decade.
Bazooka Tooth is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on Definitive Jux in 2003.
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Float is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on Mush Records on September 5, 2000. Produced by Aesop Rock himself, Blockhead, and Omega One, it features guest appearances from Slug, Vast Aire, and Doseone.
Appleseed is an EP by American hip hop musician Aesop Rock. It was originally self-released in 1999, and reissued via Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2021. Produced by Aesop Rock himself, Omega One, and Blockhead, it features a guest appearance from Doseone. It peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart.
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Perseverance is the official debut studio album by American rapper Percee P. It was released on Stones Throw Records on September 18, 2007. All tracks are produced by Madlib. The album features guest appearances from Guilty Simpson, Diamond D, Chali 2na, Prince Po, and Aesop Rock, among others.
Scifentology II is the second full-length studio album by American rapper Yak Ballz. It was released on January 29, 2008 via FloSpot Records. Recording sessions took place at S.T.F.U. Studios in Hoboken, The Crib Piece Studios, and Gotham Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Chapter 7, Mondee, Camu Tao, Adept, Aesop Rock, Chris Maestro and Govone. It features guest appearances from Cage, Peter Toh, Slow Suicide Stimulus, Tame One and Thomas Phenomas.
Angel Del Villar II, better known by his stage name Homeboy Sandman, is an American rapper from Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States.
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Fatigue is the second record by Brooklyn-based experimental musician Taja Cheek, under the moniker of L'Rain. It is her first recording with record label Mexican Summer. Fatigue builds on Cheek's experimental compositional approach, drawing from an eclectic collection of genres and employing field recording elements. Instrumentally, it has help from twenty collaborators, who lend the record clavinet, saxophone, and more.
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